YOUNG GUNS SINGAPORE CONTINENTAL CUP REPORT - JULY 2008
Following the Shichigahama Continental Cup event all the athletes were keen to recover, do a little local exploring and train well for Singapore.
Everyone completed their required training and it was a pretty standard training week.
As always on Tour there were a few interesting moments! In brief these were:
- - Assisting with ‘fixing' our local guides rear derailleur and then having to push him for 10km or so...
- - Misplacing a passport and not being able to check where it was believed to have fallen for 12hours...thankfully it was where it was believed to be....
- - Finding three bikes damaged upon arriving in Singapore...and we had flown on the newest & biggest plane in the fleet...would've thought the airline would have wanted to receive positive reviews....
- - The very obvious change in environment in Singapore....
Onto the event itself - The OSIM Singapore International Triathlon.
Race day was an earlier start than all have been used to this season but the warm, humid environment meant other than the early wake up it may well have been an Australian summer, afternoon start time.
Pre-race the Young Guns were fortunate to have access to AIS Triathlon Sport Science Coordinator, Greg Cox, to monitor hydration & assist with some basic pre-race cooling strategies. Greg was there to practice pre-race cooling strategies with both Courtney Atkinson & Emma Moffatt in their preparations for Beijing.
A small field of 20 men started at 8am with Courtney & Josh Amberger quickly taking a lead of 10-15m which grew over the choppy, windswept, two lap swim to approximately 90sec into T1.
The chase group included Seear, Carlton, McHugh, Betten, Maeder, Wright (HKG) & Wang (CHINA). Onto the bike and this group immediately began to work hard to chase the two leaders. By the time the group finished their first lap of 6, both Wang & Wright had been dropped and the remaining Young Guns were working well together.
Young Guns Rawlings & Good were in the second chase group 90sec behind and quickly established themselves as the stronger athletes in this group.
As the laps ticked off the 1st chase group gradually brought the gap to Amberger & Atkinson down when at the completion of the 4th lap Amberger returned solo and the chase group now contained Atkinson! Whilst a surprise to many in the crowd, the commentators and the chase group this was not so for myself and Coxy. Over breakfast Courtney had mentioned that he was hoping for a group ride and a variable pace bike......and so he ensured that this was the case!
This left Amberger out the front for 2.5 laps on his own with the chase group working out what had happened to Courtney, and not working as well as they had been......a valuable lesson in tactics and decision making for the Young Guns - if you want a race to go a certain way, YOU make it happen.
Meanwhile as the chase group ticked off the laps behind them Good had moved away from his group and was now working the New Zealander Callum Millward and Rawlings was still in the 2nd chase group.
Into T2 and Amberger had a lead of 90seconds to the chase group. Onto the run and the Young Guns were determined to hang with Courtney as long as possible, exiting close together and ready to work hard. Good exited T2 2min later and Rawlings a further 3min behind.
The run was a 2 lap, out and back course on the flat with the return 2.5km in the blazing sun - mid 30 degrees and 75-80% humidity at 9.30am!
At the end of the first lap Atkinson was clear and the closest chasers were Seear, McHugh & Amberger tightly grouped together. Strung out behind them were Betten, Carlton & Maeder. Rawlings returned next with great form and a good rhythm in the heat. With Rawlings having passed Good it was assumed he was having a hard time on the run but unfortunately he was overcome with dehydration and was removed from the course to return to race headquarters and into the medical tent for re-hydration & observation.
As expected Atkinson returned from his second lap with a comfortable lead to win by 2 minutes. The race for the final podium positions would be an interesting one as two of the previous week's podium placegetter's were going head to head. As they rounded the final bend Seear had moved away from McHugh and then Amberger.
Another consistent performance from Seear and Amberger and a great result for McHugh who was able to execute well and put to work the form he was demonstrating in training the week before.
Rounding out the Top 10 was Betten, Carlton (a good return from a mystery injury the week before), Maeder, Millward and Rawlings.
Whilst Good was greatly affected by the heat, it had an impact on everyone's racing. The boys commented that it was not a matter of surging to move up the placings but more a battle of attrition!
The women's race started a half hour later then the men's and would be a lonely race for all athletes with a small field of 6! With Moffatt competing, our Young Gun Sarah had an opportunity to gauge her performance and improvements against one of the world's best!
In the swim and Moffatt moved to the front and created a gap immediately. Stewart (RSA) followed with Sarah Crowley in third and the other Australian in the race Hawkens in 4th.
Moffatt built a lead of 3:30 into T1 to Stewart and a further 2min to Crowley. Onto the bike and Moffatt started her time trial by picking off the slower men! Stewart and Crowley were both working extremely hard to edge closer to Moffatt.
Crowley moved into 2nd place by half way, and managed to take a minute off the lead Moffatt had on her and in doing so rode within a minute of Emma's bike split - an impressive effort.
Onto the run and Moffatt moved quickly and strongly over the ground and looked like being in great form. Whilst being 4min down on Moffatt onto the run, Crowley did not let that affect her and took off in pursuit.
At the halfway mark Moffatt had increased her lead again and was still running strongly. Crowley continued to work hard giving her all.
Moffatt crossed the line in 2:04:22 with Crowley following at 2:11:11. Both girls having worked hard in the heat and humidity heading straight for the shade and some cooling fluids.
Hawkens was to finish third with Stewart not finishing. Another casualty of the heat and humidity.
As it would turn out, Moffatt would have the 3rd fastest run of the day - men's & women's - and Crowley the 9th!
Another good day for the Young Guns and Australia as a whole. Having two of our Olympic Team members on hand provided a great gauge of where to, what is required and the athlete's fed off the information and experience of these two athletes greatly.
I must thank all the home coaches for sending their athletes in great physical shape and mindset. All the athletes did the best they could in their training, self-management and conduct. With athletes arriving in great shape the Young Guns Tour would be hard pressed to not be successful
A special mention must go to Warwick for doing a fantastic job on Tour and assisting me in all manner of ways. Thanks Waz!
If anyone would like any further reports or feedback please let me know.
Cheers,
Aaron Lean
Emerging Athlete Program - Triathlon Coach
Triathlon Australia National Talent Identification & Development Program - Regional Coach
Coach